Packages which contain plural food items and which packages enable heating or cooking the food items in microwave ovens without removing the contents therefrom are shown, for instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,024 which issued Apr. 25, 1989 to Jonathan Seaborne. In the packages shown, four like food items are disposed in a two-by-two orthogonal array. Such packages can comprise a microwave heating susceptor fabricated into trays, dishes or shallow pans in various configurations, and may include a cover of susceptor material.
An annular-shape microwave food heating container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,906, and a related process for preparing food packages for microwave heating is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,907 which patents issued Nov. 22, 1983 to James D. Watkins.
A rice cooker for microwave ranges is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,509 which issued Aug. 1, 1989 to Tatsuo Murakami. This cooker enables preparation of a plurality of rice balls in separate confined spaces which are disposed about a centrally disposed tube through which water is supplied.
A cooker/baker utensil for microwave oven is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,640 which issued Dec. 4, 1984 to Robert F. Bowen, et al. This utensil comprises a tray and cover which are metallic, and which shield the interior thereof from microwave energy. The tray, as shown in the figures, is subdivided into plural pie-shape compartments.
A microwave egg cooker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,167 which issued Nov. 1, 1983 to Thomas J. Martel, et al. Essentially, this is a double boiler type cooker wherein a metal lid and a metal tray substantially shield eggs disposed in the tray from direct microwave heating; and water is boiled in a microwave transparent bottom container to effect sufficient heating to cook the eggs. As shown in FIG. 4 of Martel et al., the tray is provided with an array of four round receptacles.
Food receptacles and laminates for microwave cooking which comprise vapor deposited microwave susceptors are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,641,005 and 4,825,025 which issued to Oscar E. Seiferth on Feb. 3, 1987 and Apr. 25, 1989, respectively.